The Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) represents the interests of the nation's network of academic and freestanding cancer centers--the premier institutions for cancer research and treatment in the United States and throughout the world. AACI fosters cancer center collaborations that produce universal strategies for improving the public's access to cancer clinical trials and new early detection, prevention, and treatment modalities. The 2009 AACI Annual Meeting program committee of cancer center directors and executive administrators has developed a conference plan that incorporates several learning formats-- lecture, panel discussion and mini-symposium-to deliver vital, up-to-date content to our unique audience. No other program presents information on cancer research and patient care issues that is tailored to the needs of the nation's cancer center leaders, and provides a forum for them to discuss the issues and develop best practices with their peers. At the end of the conference, physicians and other health care professionals should be able to summarize the program content, discuss its application in clinical practice, and convey the information to administrative leaders who support cancer center interventions. The program's educational objectives, and the physicians and other health care professionals'learning objectives, are to recognize the challenges faced by the community due to a lack of access to quality care, to understand the new rules and regulations that are being implemented for cancer centers by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and National Cancer Institutes (NCI), and to develop necessary strategies to increase cancer center collaborations. The conference will provide critical tools and information for implementing necessary changes at cancer institutions.